Into The Wild
by QueerAndWild
Summary: What if Rusty never traveled into the forest? What if Princess did, instead? Follow the twists and turns of this story as you read along! (This will not have an ending like the original book, and the other books will be far from matching, I promise.) Rated T for gore.
1. Chapter 1

_Darkness surrounded her, in an endless void, and Princess_ lay silently on what felt like the grass in her housefolk's garden, but softer. _H-huh? Where am I?_ She sniffed the air, sensing a small movement nearby. The small she-cat opened her wide green eyes, and immediately recognized the tall, towering trees, and fell into comfort with the dimly lit clearing. The musty, damp smells of the fallen leaves and dew on the slightly quivering blades of grass filled her nostrils, and she padded further into the forest, gazing up at the trees in wonder.

Her belly growled quietly, reminding the brown tabby how hungry she was. She sniffed the air again, only to have the scent of rich, tantalizing mouse waft towards her. Her mouth watered, and she instinctively crouched low to the ground, making sure to tread lightly.

In a flash a small grey rodent whisked past her, burrowing itself in a pile of dead leaves not a tail-length away. Princess's ears pricked, and she froze before creeping slowly toward the leaf pile. Princess could sense that the creature was innocently unaware of her presence, and licked her lips.

The brown tabby pushed off of her hind legs, landing with a thump on the leaf pile. She hooked the mouse out with one curved claw, and threw it into the air, ready to clamp down on its flesh with sharpened, white teeth-

Rattle, rattle.

Princess froze, and the mouse landed hard on the ground. It squealed and took off running, but Princess smacked a paw down on its tail, smiling in amusement. She picked the wriggling creature up, staring at it, her eyes curious, and shining-

Rattle, rattle, rattle.

What was that _infernal_ noise? It shook on, louder and louder, becoming more and more familiar as the wet, mossy ground beneath Princess's paws turned to cushion, and the cool forest air became hot and scented with chicken, and the stale smell of dry pellets. She blinked open her eyes, and as they adjusted to the light, stared around, confused.

What? Was it all just a dream?

Pale moonlight shifted through the cold glass pane on the wall, striking the flowers on the ledge next to it with nearly invisible dust motes. The rattling noise continued, and Princess realized that it was the dry pellets being poured into her food dish. She wrinkled her nose in distaste as her housefolk nudged the metal dish towards her.

Her collar shifted as she turned to smooth out some fur on her shoulder, making the silver bell tinkle and ring slightly. The brown tabby stretched out on her soft bed before slowly clambering out of it, and padding towards her food bowl. Her nose wrinkled again, and she looked up at her housefolk with large, pleading eyes.

The twoleg murmured something before puling a tin can off of the counter, and spilling half of its contents into the bowl alongside the pellets. _Tuna!_ Princess thought with glee, gulping up mouthfuls of pellets and fish, purring all the while. When her stomach was full, she leaned towards her water dish, and lapped up a few drops of the stale liquid.

The humid air inside the kitchen was beginning to irk the brown tabby, and she jumped up onto the window ledge, pawing at the glass pane, and mewing. Obediently, her housefolk opened the window, and Princess leaped out onto the harsh, tickly grass outside. It was cut short, and her pads itched as she headed toward the wooden fence.

Once there, she scrabbled at the splintery wood for a claw hold, and hefted herself up to the peak of the wooden structure. _Hhhhh!_ She stifled a gasp as her eyes met the looming forest trees for the first time that night. The stars twinkled, suffocating in the darkness, but the moon lit the trees up with a cold light, making them impossibly more beautiful than before.

A cool breeze swept through her fur, making her whiskers quiver slightly. She closed her green eyes, taking in a deep breath, catching some of the scents of her dream. For a moment, she felt herself become one with the sky, stretching over everything, wild. And free. Her eyes snapped open, narrowed. She was going to explore that forest. And she was going to do it now.

She jumped off of the wooden ledge, taking off towards the forest, letting out a squeal as the wind madly ruffled her fur. The bell on her collar shook, and Princess squeezed her eyes shut against the whipping of the wild grass, which was tall and soft in comparison to the chopped blades in her garden. The brown tabby made it past the barrier of trees and breathed in the musky scents of the undergrowth, halting, and panting heavily. She had never run that fast in all her life. Her ears pricked and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she realized that there was no turning back now.

The undergrowth twinkled in the moonlight from early evening's rain, and the wet mulch gave off a rich scent that Princess was drawn to. A rustle in the leaves caused the tabby's head to swivel around silently, like an owl's, until she was facing the source of the sound. The silver bell tinkled. She sniffed the air excitedly, catching a whiff of mouse, and... Was that... Cat?!

" _Mrrrrooow!_ "

A dark shape flew out of the bushes, and Princess spun around on her heels, meeting her attacker with fore-paws to the stomach. The cat _oofed_ , and flew backward, clambering to its paws and running full speed toward the brown tabby she-cat. The bell rattled as she jumped over the figure's head, landing squat on its tail. She tumbled as it let out a masculine yelp. (If yelps could be in any way masculine, that is).

"Ach! What's wrong with you?" The small tom grumbled, sniffing at his tail as Princess got to her paws. "What's wrong with _me?!_ " She scoffed. " _You're_ the one who attacked _me_ for no apparent reason!"

"It was just a bit of harmless fun!" He whined. "I think you've crippled my tail."

Princess sniffed haughtily. "Well maybe you'll think about that before you go scaring the fur off of some cat."

The tom's amber eyes twinkled, and he let out a _mrrrow_ of laughter. "I scared you?"

The tabby she-cat's fur grew hot and she turned away. "No, you startled me- that's all!"

"Who are you anyway, and what are you doing in this part of the woods?"

"It's rude to ask a she-cat her name before you have even introduced yourself." Princess crowed.

The tom sat himself down, wrapping his tail around his paws. "Alright then. I'm Dustpaw. I live here. Now. Who are _you_ , and why are _you_ here?"

Princess also sat down- though a fair distance away from the unruly tom. "I'm Princess. I've come from TwolegPlace, to explore the woods."

The young tom snorted with laughter. "P-Princess? Do you even know what that _means_? That's like calling yourself FAVYDAYH." He spluttered the unknown word into the air like a flightless bird.

"Hey," Princess growled. "You don't see me poking fun at _your_ name. What is a _Dustpaw_ anyhow?"

Dustpaw grew quiet and somber, a distant look upon his face. "It's a tradition." He said softly, so Princess had to strain her ears to hear him. "I live with a group called ThunderClan. We've lived in these woods for generations upon generations. When a kit is born, it is given a first name, followed by -kit.

Once they reach six moons, the suffix of their name, -kit, is changed to signify that they've started training as a warrior, or medicine cat. This change is what you hear in my name, -paw. When a cat finishes their training, their name changes again, with something completely different , like -foot, or -leaf. If a cat is lucky enough to become a leader, their name gets a new suffix, -star, to show that they have a connection with our fallen ancestors, StarClan. "

The small tom finished quietly, his eyes shining with pride, leaving Princess dumbfounded and confused. But just as she was about to speak, a look of horror crossed Dustpaw's face, and he sniffed the air.

"What is it? Is something dead?" Princess wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Shhh! Hide! Quick!"

"Wha-"

"No time to explain! Hurry!" Dustpaw flailed at the tabby she-cat with his paws, trying to shove her into a bush.

"Dustpaw. I sent you out to _hunt_ , not to frolic with some she-cat." A mottled tom and a blue-grey she-cat leaped down from an overhanging branch, their eyes narrowed with disapproval. It was the large tom who had spoken. "And a kittypet, at that."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys, it's Wilde. I'm so so sorry for the late publication of our newest chapter. We were having issues writing it, as it is my sister's computer, and she never has time to type it. c: Here goes!**

* * *

 _"Well?" The large tom asked_ , his face inches away from Princess's now. The brown tabby flinched, and forced the fur on her neck to lay flat.

"I am no threat to your Clan," She said calmly, her pads growing clammy and cold.

"You threaten us when you take our food!" The tortoiseshell tom shook his head in disbelief. "You come here to hunt for fun, for sport, when you have all the food you need in your _twoleg nest_." He spat the last words like poison from his mouth. "We hunt to survive. It isn't all moonlight and daffodils out here, you know. In Leaf Bare, prey is scarce, and we have to _fight_ just to eat." His eyes narrowed.

Princess gulped, and her pelt prickled, but a flash of anger and annoyance shot through her. "Why don't you just get yourself some housefolk, then? If it's so _hard_ for you out here, why are you here _at all?!_ " The brown tabby was beginning to get frustrated with these Clan cats, and she lunged upwards so that she was no longer bowing her head, but staring straight into his yellow eyes, which widened in shock.

The tom's mouth hung open, at a loss for words. He turned to stare blankly at the blue-grey she-cat. Before she could speak however, Princess glared at her, and continued. "And don't you make up some excuse, or vague answer, like this lump of fur." She gestured to Dustpaw, who let out an amused, "Hey!"

Princess rolled her eyes and continued, stomping her paw down on the mossy forest floor. "I came here for my questions to be answered, and to feel the thrill of hunting for the first time! I didn't come here to be hissed at and whined to that _you_ don't have enough _food_ , or _territory,_ when it's been sitting under your noses this _whole time_!"

The brown tabby's fur bristled, her back arched, she was a fearsome sight to any cat who feared a furball. Soon the elderly blue she-cat couldn't hold back, and she collapsed on the ground, laughing, and spluttering. Princess and Dustpaw stared at her, and after a while she rose to her paws. "I'm sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan. This is Redtail, my deputy."

Despite Princess's anger, she still bowed her head to the leader, as it was respectful and polite. Bluestar dipped her head in turn, and stepped forward. "I have watched you for a while, kittypet. You are fierce, and stubborn, fast, and clever. You fought well when Dustpaw attacked you. Even Redtail was impressed." The wise she-cat flicked the tom's shoulder with her tail. He grunted in agreement, his flame-colored eyes glittering.

"I don't understand..." Princess tipped her head to one side, confused.

Bluestar sighed. "ThunderClan is short of warriors this Leaf Bare," she mewed, cautiously.

"What are you saying?"

"It would be an honor, if you would join us."

"Know that Bluestar does not make this offer to any kittypet," Redtail chimed in. "Once you make your choice, there is no changing it."

Princess blinked her green eyes, and gave her white chest fur a few brisk licks. "C-can I sleep on it?" She looked up at the burly dappled tom hopefully.

"Of course." Redtail mewed. "I'll be here at sunrise to take you to camp," He paused. "That is, if you decide to join."

"Thank you."

Without saying another word, they crept off in different directions, the warriors to their Clan, the kittypet to her housefolk.

* * *

 **Typed by Xx Sugar Foot xX**


	3. AN and Allegiances

**A/N: Okay so drowningsun is definitely making the next chapter. She actually yelled at me the other day for writing the other one, but we both cracked up and started talking about new ideas for the plot, so everything is okay. Just a heads-up, it might take a while, she's working on other stuff too. We're both thrilled that this is such a hit, and we can't wait to write more chapters. For those of you asking about pairings, you'll be shocked at what it is, but we can't spoil anything! Also, I'm gonna do allegiances so that this isn't just some lame note. ;p ~ Xx Sugar Foot xX**

 **ThunderClan**

 **Leader** : **Bluestar** —blue-gray she-cat, tinged with silver around her muzzle.

 **Deputy** : **Redtail** —small tortoiseshell tom with a distinctive ginger tail.  
 **Apprentice, Dustpaw**

 **Medicine Cat** : **Spottedleaf** —beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat with a distinctive dappled coat.

 **Warriors** :

 **Lionheart** —magnificent golden tabby tom with thick fur like a lion's mane.  
 **Apprentice, Graypaw**

 **Tigerclaw** —big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws.  
 **Apprentice, Ravenpaw**

 **Whitestorm** —big white tom.  
 **Apprentice, Sandpaw**

 **Darkstripe** —sleek black-and-gray tabby tom.

 **Longtail** —pale tabby tom with dark black stripes.

 **Runningwind** —swift tabby tom.

 **Willowpelt** —very pale gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes.

 **Mousefur** —small dusky brown she-cat.

 **Apprentices** :

 **Dustpaw** —dark brown tabby tom.

 **Graypaw** —long-haired solid gray tom.

 **Ravenpaw** —small, skinny black tom with a tiny white dash on his chest, and white-tipped tail.

 **Sandpaw** —pale ginger she-cat.

 **Queens** : **Frostfur** —beautiful white coat and blue eyes.

 **Brindleface** —pretty tabby.

 **Goldenflower** —pale ginger coat.

 **Speckletail** —pale tabby, and the oldest nursery queen.

 **Elders** :

 **Halftail** —big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing.

 **Smallear** —gray tom with very small ears. The oldest tom in ThunderClan.

 **Patchpelt** —small black-and-white tom.

 **One-eye** —pale gray she-cat, the oldest cat in ThunderClan. Virtually blind and deaf.

 **Dappletail** —once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled coat

 **Rosetail** \- tabby she-cat with a pinkish-orange tail.

* * *

 **ShadowClan**

 **Leader** : **Brokenstar** —long-haired dark brown tabby.

 **Deputy** : **Blackfoot** —large white tom with huge jet-black paws.

 **Medicine Cat** : **Runningnose** —small gray-and-white tom.

 **Warriors** :

 **Stumpytail** —brown tabby tom.  
 **Apprentice, Brownpaw**

 **Boulder** —silver tabby tom.  
 **Apprentice, Wetpaw**

 **Clawface** —battle-scarred brown tom.  
 **Apprentice, Littlepaw**

 **Nightpelt** —black tom. **Apprentices** : **Brownpaw** —N/A*

 **Wetpaw** —N/A*

 **Littlepaw** —N/A*

 **Queens** :

 **Dawncloud** —small tabby.

 **Brightflower** —black-and-white she-cat.

 **Elders** :

 **Ashfur** —thin gray tom

* * *

 **WindClan**

 **Leader** : **Tallstar** —a black-and-white tom with a very long tail.

* * *

 **RiverClan**

 **Leader** : **Crookedstar** —a huge light-colored tabby with a twisted jaw.

 **Deputy** : **Oakheart** —a reddish brown tom.

* * *

 **Cats Outside of the Clans**

 **Yellowfang** —old dark gray she-cat with a broad, flattened face.

 **Smudge** —plump, friendly black-and-white kitten who lives in a house at the edge of the forest.

 **Barley** —black-and-white tom who lives on a farm close to the forest.


End file.
